The Madras High Court has been approached by actor Sivakarthikeyan who claimed that the producer of Studio Green Films, K.E. Gnanavelraja, has not disbursed the ₹15 crores that were due to him for Mr. Local. The conflict has risen to a colossal legal war within the Tamil film industry.
The petitioner so stated that Mr. Sivakarthikeyan made a deal with the producer on 6th July 2018 to act as the primary character in the film Mr. Local. According to the contract, his payment in full would amount to ₹15 crores, which would be paid in parts, with the last part of ₹1 crore being due prior to the film’s release. Nevertheless, the actor contends that the stipulated fee was never entirely settled.
The movie was telecasted in cinemas on May 17, 2019, during which time Sivakarthikeyan claims he had been paid ₹11 crore only. On the other hand, after continuous follow-ups, the actor still claims that the amount of ₹4 crore has not been paid, even years after the release, and thus he has turned to the court for help.
The matter is said to have gotten worse when on February 1 this year, the actor received a notice from the Income Tax Department. The notice was linked to the alleged non-remittance of Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) by the producer on the amount already paid. In spite of the actor’s separate writ petition to contest the notice, it is said that approximately ₹91 lakh was taken away from his bank account for the assessment years 2019–20 and 2020–21.
As per his plea, Sivakarthikeyan has requested the court to prohibit producer Gnanavelraja from making any investments in or advancing with such projects as Rebel, Chiyan 61, and Pathu Thala. Moreover, he has requested the court to issue an injunction against the transfer of rights for these films to theaters or OTT platforms until the conflict is resolved.
The judge M. Sundar has fixed the matter for a hearing on Thursday. The scenario is likely to draw attention to the payment situations and the need for agreement openness in the motion picture industry. Conversely, Sivakarthikeyan is preparing for the debut of his eagerly awaited movie, Parasakthi.
